Industrial robot with servo control

Abstract

 A digitally-controlled industrial robot comprises a set of unitized and integrated joint drive modules (2,4,6,8,10,12,14) which can be assembled in series to form a manipulator arm. The joints are of two basic types, pitch joints (4,8,12) and roll joints (2,6,10,14), the latter providing rotation about the longitudinal axis of the manipulator and the pitch joints providing rotation about axes which are substantially perpendicular to and offset from the roll joint axes. A servocontrol derives feedback from sensing the motive force on a driven member and compensates the drive signal accordingly. More particularly, the torque exerted on each roll and pitch joint is measured and used for feedback to provide stability and optimum bandwidth for the servomechanism.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to industrial robots or computer-controlled manipulators and, more particularly, to the design and control of an articulated mechanical arm of an indeterminant number of axes, capable of being configured with kinematic redundancy.

[0002] Industrial robot arm designs have followed a few basic types. Industrial robots can be classified according to their mechanical linkage geometries, i.e., the particular arrangements of structural elements and joints which connect them and the associated motion control systems required to coordinate joint action to produce straight line motion and other controlled paths at the toolpoint. In the most general purpose and versatile manipulators, six degrees of freedom are incorporated in the linkage configuration to provide complete control of the position in space and orientation of the tool mounted at the end of the manipulator.

[0003] One elementary form of manipulator employs a set of three slides connected at prismatic or sliding joints. These slides are disposed in a nominally orthogonal arrangement to position the "wrist" of the device, a second set of three orthogonally disposed rotational axes which determine tool orientation. This mechanism geometry provides a roughly rectilinear working volume. Such a device is typified by the IBM RS 1 robot. The "cartesian" geometry of such a device has a number of distinct advantages over other types. Most important of these is that no coordinate transformations are necessary to produce useful controlled motions at the toolpoint. Instead, linear and circular interpolation of the positioning axes is sufficient.

[0004] A second common mechanical geometry provides a wrist, as described above, linked to two slides which are disposed at a right angle and connected at a prismatic joint. These slides are affixed to a revolute joint in the base of the device which provides rotation about a vertical axis. The workspace of such a manipulator is roughly "cylindrical" in shape. Such a device is typified by the Prab Model FA robot.

[0005] In a third common mechanical geometry, the wrist described above is positioned in space by a slide connected at a prismatic joint to a revolute joint which, in turn, is mounted at a right angle to and rotated around a vertical axis by a second revolute joint in the base of the device. Theoretically, this type of "polar" geometry produces a spherical work space. In practice, mechanical design considerations generally restrict the useful workspace to a spherical shell less certain significant conical sections. Such a device is typified by the Unimation Unimate 1000 robot.

[0006] More sophisticated motion control systems are required for arms with cylindrical and polar linkage geometries than for arms with cartesian geometries because coordinate transformations must be performed to generate straight line movements at the toolpoint. However, as a class, manipulators which employ one or more slides connected at prismatic joints exhibit certain significant performance limitations. These are due, in part, to the relatively large size and high weight, and the resulting high motive power required of such a design to convey and locate in space a tool or workpiece of a given mass. They are also due to the fact that the positioning slides often interfere with other objects in and around the working area, including the workpiece itself.

[0007] Of the manipulator types described above, the cartesian systems tend to be the least spatially efficient linkage configurations, since the workspace is often completely surrounded by a large framework of positioning slides and supporting structure. Of the group described above, the polar type, which employs only a single slide, is the most efficient and least intrusive in the workspace. To minimize the spatial efficiency problem, a few polar geometry devices have been designed in which the slide collapses upon itself when retracted to minimize interference problems. In one form, for example, a set of colinear slide segments telescope. This form is characterized by the Maker, which is manufactured by U.S. Robot. In another form, a thin-wall steel tube that forms the slide when extended is caused to collapse in section to a flat sheet which can be rolled onto a drum when retracted. This device is typified by the Martin Marietta/NASA Viking Lander arm. Mechanical implementations of these designs tend to have relatively poor static and dynamic performance characteristics, however, due either to the number of additional prismatic joints incorporated to provide telescoping or to the very thin-wall slide cross-section.

[0008] To improve the performance and workspace interference characteristics of manipulators, a linkage geometry which permits considerably more efficient mechanical designs has been devised in which a series of rigid link segments connected by revolute joints is used to position the wrist. This is known as a revolute or jointed arm manipulator and is the type of the present invention. In a general-purpose manipulator of this type the wrist positioning mechanism typically consists of two links connected by a revolute joint, with a terminal end of one of these links mounted on a second revolute joint fixed in plane with the first, itself mounted at a right angle on and rotated about a vertical axis by a third revolute joint in the base. Manipulators which employ this linkage geometry are more like the human arm than the earlier designs described above, but function kinematically more like a "backhoe" than a human limb, since the linkage configuration operates in a fixed plane. Theoretically, such a jointed arm linkage geometry produces a spherical working envelope. Like cylindrical and polar geometry manipulators, the jointed arm manipulator requires a relatively complex controller which must perform coordinate transformations to produce straight lines or other controlled path behavior at the toolpoint. The principle advantages of the jointed arm manipulator geometry relate to the fact that when the arm linkage which positions the wrist is retracted, it folds upon itself, permitting arms to be relatively compact for a given working envelope and light-weight for a given payload.

[0009] Two distinct mechanical embodiments of the jointed arm geometry have gained acceptance in the industry. In one, the actuators which drive many of the arm and wrist joints are mounted some distance from the joints themselves. In such designs, motors and gear reducers mounted at the "shoulder" transmit power to the joints through the effect of a four-bar linkage configuration or through pushrods and bellcranks, or by chains, timing belts, or other "tendon" arrangements. An example of such a device is the ASEA IRb 6 robot. This design has the advantage that the relatively bulky and heavy motors, drives, and velocity feedback hardware need not be packaged with and supported by the more distal arm structure. Consequently, motive power requirements for a given payload may be reduced. Nevertheless, the drive train which is employed to transmit power to a remote joint itself imposes a number of significant performance limitations. The feasible range of motion of joints is often limited by geometric ratio changes or over-center conditions in the power transmission mechanism, resulting in arm assemblies with relatively restricted, toroidal working envelopes. Transmission mechanisms also add considerable inertia, compliance and mechanical inaccuracy to the drive train, to the detriment of static and dynamic performance. Moreover, since the transducer which is used to determine toolpoint position is often mounted at the origin of the transmission, compliance and mechanical inaccuracy in the transmission significantly reduces the precision of the device.

[0010] In the second common embodiment of the jointed arm linkage geometry, substantially all of the actuators which drive the arm and wrist joints are located on or within the arm structure adjacent the joints. In some cases, actuators are located directly at the joints; in other cases, they are located in adjacent "in-board" link segments. This arrangement overcomes the problem of limited joint travel and, as a result, certain mechanisms of this type exhibit useful working envelopes that approach a sphere. The joint-mounted or link-mounted drive design also reduces or eliminates problems associated with power transmission inertia and compliance. An example of such a device is the Unimation PUMA 600 robot.

[0011] Although jointed arm geometry provides a more efficient operation than cartesian or polar configurations in terms of maneuverability, working envelope, and overall dexterity, it requires a more sophisticated controller, capable of performing elaborate and time-consuming coordinate transformations to position the toolpoint. The relative complexity and high cost of computer control systems required for accurate and, to an increasing extent, adaptive control of the toolpath in jointed-arm manipulators have had a significant influence on the particular linkage geometries utilized in most commercial arm designs. Linkage designs have generally been adopted which simplify the process of coordinate transformation and reduce the number and rate of computations that must be performed. For example, common jointed-arm linkage geometries avoid "off-set" pitch joints, a feature which greatly complicates transformation. Thus, by imposing specific constraints on the linkage geometry, explicit mathematical expressions (i.e. closed form, analytic expressions) can be obtained for the coordinate transformations which simplify the control system.

[0012] However, such efforts to constrain mechanical design for the sake of control system efficiency exhibit several shortcomings. The linkage geometries that allow for explicit solutions to the transformation equations often are not optimal for performance and cost. In addition, explicit expressions can not be easily adjusted for mechanical imprecisions in the manipulator. Moreover, it is doubtful that any closed form solution exists for the transformation equations of any redundant manipulator. Furthermore, intrinsic to all jointed arm manipulators is a condition known as a singularity. Conventional control systems and manipulators will encounter regions in their working envelope containing "singularities" which prevent effective operation of the controller. Conventional controllers are unable to operate efficiently when sets of singularities are encountered in the work envelope because the equations typically used to control motion have no mathematical solution at a singularity. Thus, while many mechanical designs have been influenced by an effort to simplify the mathematics associated with the control of the manipulator, mathematical control problems persist. In accordance with the present invention, it has been found to be better to adopt an optimum mechanical design, unconstrained by concerns about mathematical complexity, and to confront the mathematical problems of coordinate transformation, redundancy, singularities and mechanical imprecisions by the adoption of iterative control methods.

[0013] In addition to the four basic types of general-purpose manipulator described above, each of which provides six degrees of freedom at the toolpoint, many other linkage geometries have been devised for special applications. In the design of most of such special-purpose arms, an effort is made to employ a linkage geometry having the minimum number of driven joints necessary to perform the particular task of that application. Significant cost savings result from such an effort through a reduction both in the number and size of structural components, motors, power supplies, servo feedback hardware and in the complexity of the control system required. Special-purpose manipulator designs have evolved, for example, for the relatively simple kinematic function of loading and unloading workpieces from lathes. One type employs a two-axis, cartesian mechanism in which the primary slide is mounted parallel to the lathe spindle centerline. A second common type uses two links connected at revolute joints, plus one short slide, to handle short chucked parts. Because of their uniquely tailored mechanical designs, neither of these specialized manipulators requires the controller to perform coordinate transformations. In both, the orientation of the linkage geometry itself produces appropriate tool paths for the given application when each joint is driven independently in the proper sequence. With such designs it is possible that the joints may not require an analog servocontrol network.

[0014] As a second example, it has been determined that for a large class of MIG welding operations in the factory, control of rotation of the welding tip about its axis is not necessary and consequently, that a three-axis arm with a two-axis wrist provides sufficient tool control. Many other examples exist of manipulator designs being optimized for a specific task or class of tasks. In most cases, a geometry providing less than six degrees of freedom at the tool is employed and the physical sizes of the links and/or slides, as well as their load capacities, are matched to the specific application. Accordingly, a unique design is required for each such specialized application.

[0015] Previous manipulator designs exhibit a number of significant limitations and shortcomings in addition to those mentioned above. Jointed arm manipulators, incorporating six revolute joints and providing six degrees of freedom at the toolpoint, while more efficient than other general-purpose linkage configurations, are substantially less maneuverable and dexterous than biological analogs they ideally would emulate, notably the human arm or an elephant trunk. As previously stated, present jointed arm devices function much like backhoes, from a kinematic viewpoint, in that the arm linkage operates in a fixed plane which is rotated about one major vertical axis by the base revolute joint. With most of such devices, a given location and orientation of the tool corresponds to a single discrete set of joint angles and an associated discrete arm configuration. In a few of such devices, a given position and orientation of the tool can be achieved by two discrete arm configurations. An example of a device with two possible arm configurations for a single toolpoint position is the Unimation PUMA 600. In that device, while the revolute joints remain in a fixed plane, the "elbow" joint can be disposed either "up" or "down". Nevertheless, if for a prescribed position of the tool, an obstacle in the workspace interferes or the workpiece itself interferes with the arm segments, the arm is not capable of reaching the point without collision. Unlike the human arm, such conventional jointed arm manipulators do not have sufficient degrees of freedom to reach around the interfering object. This limitation is illustrated in Figure 11. The human arm is considered to have seven degrees of freedom from shoulder to wrist, providing a range of elbow attitudes and resulting arm configurations for a given hand position and orientation. The elephant trunk, having more than seven degrees of freedom, can assume more complex configurations, and can "snake" between objects. Many automation tasks demand the dexterity of a human arm; some require even greater freedom of action. The lack of arm maneuverability and tool-handling dexterity in existing general-purpose computer-controlled manipulators presents serious limitations in their performance and adaptability to numerous applications.

[0016] The addition of one or more "redundant" joints in a manipulator has a number of significant benefits beyond improved maneuverability. In the same way that an extra degree of freedom provides means to reconfigure the arm to reach around an obstacle, the arm can be reconfigured to dispose joints in a way which distributes torque or velocity requirements among arm joints in the most equitable manner. A man reconfigures his arm in the process of lifting a heavy object to keep the forces and moments applied to each and every joint at a minimum. The man uses the redundancy in his arm to maximize "leverage". In a six degree of freedom jointed arm, operating in plane like a backhoe, no such reconfiguration and redistribution of forces and torques is possible. Thus, the mechanism's lifting capacity, associated with any particular point in its working envelop and discrete arm configuration, may be unreasonably limited because only a few joints are contributing to the exercise. With a kinematically-redundant manipulator, in contrast, while it may not be possible to lift a given load with one configuration of joints, it may be possible with another configuration and the arm can be reconfigured to do so. Similarly, in executing a high-speed move, the peak toolpoint velocity attainable by a six degree of freedom arm is ultimately determined at any one point in the path trajectory by the maximum speed of one joint. In a six degree of freedom arm, the motion requirements at any one point in the path again may not be well distributed among the joints, but no reconfiguration and redistribution is possible. The addition of redundant joints, therefore, promises to enhance greatly the efficiency of the manipulator, providing increased payload and applied tool force, as well as increased toolpoint speed, for a given amount of motive power and length of arm.

[0017] Another problem intrinsic to six degree of freedom arms which may be reduced by kinematic redundancy is related to joint travel limits. In the majority of mechanical embodiments of jointed arms, few, if any, of the revolute joints provide more than one full rotation. Many typical joints provide no more than 180 degrees of rotation. This feature limits the ability of the arm to accomplish certain motions. For example, if the prescribed path of movement specifies certain tool orientations, such as an orientation perpendicular in three axes to some arbitrary straight line in the workspace, then at some point in the straight line trajectory, one of the joints in the arm will reach its limit of travel and the desired path can be followed no further. This may be the case even when other joints remain close to their centers of travel. Kinematic redundancy provides a means to redistribute motion requirements in such a way as to maximize the use of all individual joint travel limits, thereby increasing the effective working envelop and tool-handling dexterity of the manipulator.

[0018] The implementation of kinematic redundancy in manipulator mechanisms can take many forms. Indeed, it can be achieved by the addition of one additional joint of any type at any location in any six degree of freedom arm linkage. Two colinear revolute joints in series will suffice. Such an additional degree of freedom need not be controlled in real time to achieve kinematic redundancy. A conventional manipulator providing six degrees of freedom under simultaneous control mounted on a slide that indexes the arm to different fixed positions during operation on the workpiece, offers a sort of primitive redundancy. However, in order to achieve human-arm-like dexterity from a conventional six degree of freedom general-purpose jointed arm manipulator, an additional revolute joint may be inserted between the shoulder "pitch" joint and the elbow "pitch" joint to allow the rotational axes of those two joints to move out of plane with respect to one another. This permits the elbow to be rotated out of plane, or "orbited", as shown in Figure 13, providing the freedom to avoid obstacles and reach goalpoints on the back side of objects in the workspace, as shown in Figure 12. In many accepted jointed arm designs, such as the ASEA IRb robots, the transmission linkages which are employed to transmit power to the remote arm joints make it difficult, if not impossible, to incorporate such a roll joint in the upper arm segment.

[0019] In order to achieve "intelligent", human-arm-like behavior with a kinematically-redundant arm, real-time sensory-interactive control is necessary. Such adaptive control of kinematic redundancy in manipulators demands that all of the seven or more joints be operated simultaneously and in concert by a real-time motion planning controller in response to information about internal arm conditions and to information from higher control levels and "off-board" sensors. The motion controller must handle both trajectory planning and coordinated joint control. It should reduce a programmed goalpoint to a set of coordinated joint commands, in real-time.

[0020] Conventional jointed arm robots also typically suffer certain significant limitations in performance related to the control stability and precision of movement of the manipulator. Many designs fail to provide servocontrol techniques which allow the high accuracy, repeatability and precision of movement required for applications such as metrology or assembly of small parts. The servocontrol systems of such manipulators may have limited operational bandwidth or may fail to employ important feedback control capabilities. As previously noted, some jointed arm designs incorporate mechanical features that further degrade stability and precision resulting from resulting from drive train compliance, structural compliance, and mechanical inaccuracies which are not effectively controlled by conventional machine tool servocontrol systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0021] It is an object of the present invention to provide a manipulator with an arm geometry suitable for both general-purpose and a variety of special-purpose applications. It is a related object to provide an easily servicable modular manipulator design with standardized interchangeable arm segments which may be combined in various ways to construct manipulators of various sizes and load capacities. It is also a related object to provide a self-contained, durable manipulator capable of operating in crowded environments, harsh environments, and highly sanitized environments.

[0022] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a general-purpose manipulator with improved maneuverability, dexterity and repeatability. More specifically, it is an object to provide a manipulator and controller which may be configured to operate with seven or more axes, undeterred by the control problems which are introduced by kinematic redundancy. An allied object is to provide a manipulator with improved accuracy and repeatability.

[0023] In addition, it is also an object of the present invention to provide a manipulator and servocontrol which provide improved responsiveness of operation and smoothness of motion, enabling greater tool path speed and accuracy of movement.

[0024] Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized by means of the devices and methods described in the claims.

[0025] To achieve the above objects, the manipulator of this invention comprises an electronic controller and a set of unitized and integrated joint drive modules which can be assembled in series to form an arm. The manipulator is based upon an arm geometry design concept which enables the configuration of manipulators suitable to handle all general-purpose and special-purpose applications from three standardized joint types--roll, pitch, and transverse--assembled in different configurations. Each roll joint of the present invention consists of co-linear internal and external structural shells equipped for relative rotation by a reduction gearing assembly. Each pitch joint is disposed with its axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to and offset from the roll joint axes and consists of two relatively rotating parts, also driven by a reduction gearing assembly of essentially identical form to that employed in the roll joint. The present invention provides a design in which roll and pitch joints typically are joined in an alternating series to provide as many degrees of freedom and as much resulting maneuverability as is required by the particular application. The pitch joint axes of rotation are offset from the rotational axes of the roll joints. Each roll joint provides a minimum of 360 degrees of rotation. The offset and rotational range of each pitch joint permits adjacent roll joints to be folded back to be parallel to each other as shown in Figure 14.

[0026] Each pitch joint may be provided with an ear module consisting of a body portion and a clevis arrangement of two parallel ears extending from the body portion. A case module, including a bell portion and a tubular portion extending from the bell portion, is provided such that the tubular portion may be mounted between the parallel ears of the ear module. A drive means also is provided for relative rotation between the case module and ear module and a resolver is provided at the maximum rotational radius to measure the relative rotation. A clutch is also provided to protect the gear reducer and actuator from damage in overload conditions.

[0027] With each roll joint there is provided an internal structural shell adapted to be secured readily to the adjacent case module of a pitch joint. There is also provided an external structural shell adapted to be secured to an adjacent ear module of a pitch joint. A drive means is provided to produce relative rotation between the internal and external structural shells of the roll joint and a resolver is provided to measure the relative rotation. An overload clutch is also provided. The above features permit the roll joint and pitch joints to be linked in a series to produce a manipulator with as many self-powered and easily interchangeable joints as are required for the application at hand.

[0028] A servocontrol is provided for stablizing the motion of an apparatus such as the manipulator of the present invention. A servocontrol is provided which derives feedback from sensing the motive force on the actuator driven member which is responding to a velocity command signal. The motive force feedback is compared to the command signal and the resulting signal is compensated to provide stability and optimum bandwidth for the servomechanism. There also may be provided velocity and position feedback loops.

[0029] The present invention provides numerous advantages and benefits. The independently driven, unitized arm segment design permits the construction of a manipulator with any number of rotational axes suited to both general-purpose and special-purpose applications from a supply of standardized joint modules and components. This reduces the need for complete redesign when a customer requires a manipulator configured differently than those previously manufactured. Furthermore, the joint geometry permits the creation of a manipulator with unusual flexibility. The spherical work envelope provided by the manipulator is more complete than most manipulators, including those using the "three-roll wrist" which provides a sphere, less an approximately 90° cone. Additional advantages also result from the unitized nature of the joints. The joints are provided with mounting features which permit a joint to be easily removed and replaced on an existing manipulator. This provides the ability to replace an inoperative joint quickly and easily. This ability may greatly reduce the down time of the manipulator because an inoperative joint can be replaced and the manipulator can be put back in operation while the troublesome joint is taken away for complete disassembly and repair. Furthermore, this feature permits large scale users of the manipulator of the present invention to stock relatively few standardized parts and joints for maintaining a large group of manipulators.

[0030] In this exoskeleton structure the principal flexural load bearing member in the roll joint arm segments is a thin-wall tube having a maximum suitable radius from the joint's axis of rotation. This provides an optimum stiffness to weight ratio in the link section. In both roll and pitch joints, the fully internal drives, transducers and wiring are protected from damage and the temperature of these components can be controlled with internal ventilation. Furthermore, the exoskeleton structure reduces the number of moving surfaces which must be sealed to one per roll joint and two per pitch joint. This helps to protect the internal drives, transducers and wiring from contamination, corrosive vapors and liquids. Indeed, with the selection of proper seals and with internal pressurization, the present invention can be made to be submersible in liquids. Conversely, in applications such as semiconductor manufacturing where the operating environment must be kept clean, the readily sealed exoskeleton structure may be used to keep machine-generated contaminants inside the machine.

[0031] The symmetrical bearing arrangement of the pitch joint modules provides maximum static and dynamic performance through balanced bearing and structural loading.

[0032] By mounting the resolvers at the maximum radius within each pitch joint and roll joint module, the highest possible ratio between joint and resolver armature can be achieved. Joint rotation is measured directly, in a thermally stable mounting, providing for high measurement accuracy and repeatability.

[0033] The relationship of dimensions of successive joints comprising the manipulator, including the offset of the pitch joint axes from the roll joint axes provides a manipulator of unusual maneuverability, dexterity and repeatability. The capability of the controller to control this manipulator in a sensory interactive manner, and indeed, to support kinematically redundant form, permits manipulator configurations, which can easily reach around objects and avoid obstacles as shown in Figure 12. In addition, the offset of the pitch joint from the central axis of the machine, while presenting mathematical difficulties for the controller, enables the manipulator to fold back upon itself, thus making an arm of a given length and working envelope highly compact and contracted, thus increasing the effective working envelope.

[0034] Unlike typical machine tool designs, the servocontroller of a highly maneuverable manipulator such as that of the present invention requires special considerations to avoid sluggish and imprecise manipulator motion. The servocontrol of the present invention improves the smoothness and precision of motion of the manipulator by using feedback and compensation techniques to eliminate mechanical roughnesses in the manipulator system.

[0035] Additional advantages of the invention will be described in the description below and may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the description or upon practicing the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the manipulator according to the present invention with a diagrammatic illustration of the control system.

[0037] Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the manipulator configured to include seven axes, illustrating the work envelope of the manipulator.

[0038] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the means for assembling consecutive arm joints of the manipulator.

[0039] Figure 4 is a semi-diagrammatic representation of the modularity feature provided by the present invention.

[0040] Figure 5 is a top view of a portion of the manipulator arm extended with the rotational axes of adjacent roll joints colinear.

[0041] Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the manipulator arm segment of Figure 5.

[0042] Figure 7 is a fragmented cross-sectional view of a roll joint taken along section line 6-6 of Figure 5.

[0043] Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in cross-section, of a pitch joint taken along section line 8-8 of Figure 6.

[0044] Figure 9 is a block diagram of the system comprising the manipulator, a digital controller, and the servocontrol circuits.

[0045] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the servocontrol circuits of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 11 is an illustration of the maneuverability limitations of a typical jointed-arm manipulator.

[0047] Figure 12 is an illustration of the maneuverability features of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 13 is an illustration of the ability of the present invention to "orbit" the "elbow" of the manipulator out of a fixed plane of operation.

[0049] Figure 14 is an illustration of the ability of adjacent roll joints of the present invention to fold back to a parallel position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The present invention comprises an articulated anthropomorphic manipulator arm controlled electronically. A perspective view of a typical configuration of the present manipulator arm is shown in Figure 1. The assembled structure consists of a linked series of arm segments or "joints" which extend from the base 1. The base 1 may be attached to a floor, overhead support structure, mobile track or other suitable support means.

[0051] The arm joints comprising the manipulator are of two basic types, roll joints, 2, 6, 10, and 14 and pitch joints, 4, 8, and 12. Except for variations in dimensions, a description of one pitch joint is representative of all pitch joints and a description of one roll joint is representative of all roll joints. That is, a manipulator arm could be built with any number of arm joints constructed according to the joint descriptions contained herein. It may be advantageous in some cases, however, to modify the design of the end joints 2 and 14 to accommodate specific applications or size limitations of components.

[0052] The pitch joints and the roll joints are independently powered to provide relative rotation about their longitudinal axes as shown by the arrows in Figure 1. In a typical assembly such as that shown in Figure 1, the first arm joint adjacent the base is roll joint 2. Each roll joint provides rotation about its longitudinal axis. The typical arm configuration includes a series of alternating pitch joints and roll joints terminating in an end effector or tool 16 at the distal end of the arm. As seen in Figure 1, the roll joints typically decrease in cross-sectional area in the direction of the distal end of the arm. Similarly, the successive pitch joints following in that direction each typically reduce in size. On each typical pitch joint, such as pitch 8, the distal mounting collar 18 is smaller in diameter than the proximal mounting collar 20. While the arm joints of the manipulator reduce in size from the proximal to the distal end of the manipulator in the preferred embodiment, this feature is not a requirement of the present invention. By rotation of the various arm joints, the location and orientation of the tool 16 can be adjusted anywhere within the working envelope of the arm.

[0053] As illustrated in Figure 1, and described below in greater detail, the arm joints are exoskeleton in nature. That is, the arm joints are comprised principally of tubular structures which provide the structural support necessary to carry a load at the tool location. Each arm joint is independently driven with its own internal motor and reduction gearing assembly contained within the exoskeleton structure. The exoskeleton structure provides the advantage of a high stiffness to weight ratio for the arm. The exoskeleton structure also protects the drive mechanisms as well as the wiring which, in the preferred embodiment, passes internally through the structure from joint to joint. In addition, the exoskeleton structure permits each of the drive motors to be air cooled, if necessary, by a single air source located in the base 1 of the arm. The exoskeleton design also may be sealed to permit under-water applications of the present invention or it may be positively ventilated to permit use in heavily contaminated environments..

[0054] Figure 2 illustrates the working envelope of a manipulator arm according to the present invention. As seen from this illustration and others, each of the pitch joints, 4, 8, and 12 is offset from the longitudinal axis of the arm extended with roll joint axes colinear. This offset permits the manipulator arm to be folded back on itself or to be fully extended. This design feature provides a substantially spherical work envelope similar to that provided by a human arm.

[0055] Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which successive arm joints are connected according to the present invention to build a manipulator. As explained below in greater detail, each roll joint and each pitch joint includes at both ends a mating face 30 and ramped ridge 32. In addition, the wiring necessary to accommodate the successive arm joints is carried internally and is connected to mating coupling assemblies 34 provided at each end of the arm joints. These features permit the arm to be easily contructed of successive arm joints, reducing in size toward the distal arm end.

[0056] To attach adjoining arm joints, the joints are brought into close proximity and the wire couplings 34 are engaged. Next, the abutting faces 30 are placed in abutment. Finally, a clamp ring 36 is applied over the ramped ridges 32 of the adjoining arm joints and the ring 36 is tightened. In this manner, the successive arm joints are structurally linked and the wiring necessary to drive the more distal arm joints is connected. This clamping arrangement, described in geater detail below, provides the benefit of a uniform, continuous clamping force around the periphery of abutting segment faces 30 with as few as one bolt or other fastener. Consequently, successive arm segments can quickly be removed for repair and replaced with a substitute arm segment from inventory. Those skilled in the art wil recognize that other fastening means between successive joints are possible. For example, each abutting end could be provided with an outwardly extending radial flange with a series of holes suitable to accommodate bolts or other appropriate fastening means though such a flange may limit the ability to fold the manipulator back upon itself.

[0057] The exoskeleton structure and independent drive means of each joint provides numerous benefits. As previously mentioned, an inoperative arm segment can quickly be removed for repair and replaced with an identical off-the-shelf arm segment. These features, together with the general reduction of size from proximal to distal arm ends, also permit the interchangeability of arm joints and internal drive assemblies across various size and strength classifications of manipulators as illustrated in Figure 4. Thus, a series of independently driven unitized pitch and roll joints can be produced which can be combined in various ways to provide a broad size and strength range of manipulators. More importantly, the number of successive arm joints combined to comprise a particular manipulator design can be varied widely. For example, for certain simple tasks it may be sufficient to have only three arm joints with a tool attached at the end of the third arm joint. Where greater maneuverability is required, the manipulator arm of the present invention can include any number of successive arm joints. As explained below, the preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of seven or more arm joints. By using seven or more arm joints, a manipulator can be constructed which will be able to reach around obstacles in various ways to apply a tool in a particular location and orientation. Furthermore, the use of seven or more arm joints creates a condition known as "redundancy" which provides numerous operational advantages if properly controlled.

[0058] Turning to Figure 5, there is illustrated a top view of a portion of the manipulator arm extended with the roll joint axes colinear. The roll joints 6 and 10 have reducing cross-sectional areas in the direction of the distal end of the manipulator. The pitch joints 8 and 12 are positioned between each roll joint to provide rotation around their central axes 40 and 42, respectively.

[0059] The top view of pitch joint 8 in Figure 5 provides some indication of the manner in which the pitch joints are constructed and the manner in which they operate. As previously stated, the joint includes a distal mounting collar 18 and a proximal mounting collar 20 which are of diameters suitable to accommodate the adjoining roll joints 10 and 6, respectively. Each pitch joint consists generally of two halves, an ear module 44 and a case module 46, which are joined by bearings and a drive means. The ear module 44 and the case module 46 pivot in relation to each other about the axis 40. A drive means for the pitch joint is contained within the pitch joint. The drive means extends longitudinally beyond the ears 48 and 50 of the ear module 44 and is enclosed by the motor cover 52 and the drive cover 54.

[0060] Figure 6 is a side view of the structure of Figure 5 and clearly illustrates that the rotational axis 40 of the pitch joint 8 is offset from the rotational axes 50 and 52 of the roll joints.

[0061] Turning now to Figure 7, there is illustrated a partial cross-sectional view of the structure of Figure 5 taken along section line 7-7. The pitch joint 8 is diagrammatically illustrated, including its axis 40. The roll joint 10 is made up of two basic parts, an inner drive housing assembly 64 and an outer skin 66. The inner drive housing and associated assembly 64 is rigidly secured to the case module 46 of pitch joint 8 by clamp ring 36. The outer skin 66 is mounted to the inner drive housing assembly 64 on bearings 68 and 70. When the motor 72 of inner drive housing assembly 64 is energized, the outer skin 66 rotates relative to inner drive housing assembly 64 and case module 46.

[0062] Turning to the drive housing assembly 64, there is provided an inner drive housing 65 with an outer bearing diagrammatically indicated at 70 mounted on an exterior bearing surface of drive housing 65. An annular seal 71 also is provided between drive housing 65 and outer skin 66 and a passage 73 is provided for passing wires. The inner race of the bearing 70 is clamped to the drive housing 65 by inner bearing clamp 74. The inner bearing clamp 74 is detachably fastened to the drive housing 65 by a series of bolts 76, or other suitable fastening means. The inner bearing clamp 74 includes an annular skirt 78 adapted to snugly fit within the annular recess provided in case module 46 of pitch joint 8. The inner bearing clamp on its outer periphery includes a sloped ridge 80. Likewise, case module 46 includes a sloped ridge 82 on its outer periphery adjacent the abutting surfaces between the case module 46 and the inner bearing clamp 74. The sloped ridges are adapted to accommodate a clamp ring 36. When the clamp ring 36 is applied and tightened, the inner bearing clamp 74 and the drive housing 65 become rigidly fixed to the case module 46.

[0063] Toward the distal end of the drive housing 65 there is provided, on its interior, two stepped annular surfaces 84 and 86 to accommodate the rigid spline 88 and the motor mount plate 90. The rigid spline 88 and motor mount plate 90 are rigidly affixed to the drive housing 65 by a series of bolts 92. The motor mount plate 90 includes a central aperature suitable to accommodate motor drive shaft 94. The motor mount plate 90 also is provided with a stepped recess 96 adapted to accommodate the collar of the motor 72. Motor mount plate 90 also includes an aperature through which suitable fasteners 98 can be applied to rigidly mount motor 72 to the motor mount plate 90. To the end of motor shaft 94 there is attached a wave generator 100 which is an integral part of the harmonic drive assembly. Wave generator 100 and the harmonic drive assembly are explained in greater detail below.

[0064] Near the distal end of drive housing 65 there is provided on the interior surface an annular interior seal 102. Likewise, there is provided on the exterior surface an annular bearing seat 104. The interior seal 102 maintains lubrication within the harmonic drive. The distal exterior bearing 68 maintains spacing and allows relative rotation between drive housing 65 and clutch ring 110.

[0065] Mounted within the drive housing near the distal end is a harmonic drive assembly. The harmonic drive assembly is a conventional commercially available item. The harmonic drive assembly includes flexspline 112 which is situated such that its exterior gear teeth are axially aligned with the teeth of rigid spline 88. The closed end of flexspline 112 is rigidly mounted via bolts 114 to harmonic drive collar 108. The harmonic drive collar 108 is provided with centering stubs 116 and 118. Centering stub 116 establishes the alignment of flexspline 112 so that flexspline 112 can be secured to harmonic drive collar 108 by bolts 114. Centering stub 118 performs a similar function on the distal side of the harmonic drive collar 108. Around centering stub 118 of harmonic drive collar 108 there is mounted a clutch plate 120 which is rigidly retained to the harmonic drive collar 108 by bolts 114. Harmonic drive collar 108 also includes a threaded central aperature 122 for receiving a sealing plug to retain lubricants and provide access to adjust the wave generator 100.

[0066] Clutch plate 120 extends in the distal direction and flares outwardly radially to provide an annular sloped ridge 124 and a radial abutment surface 126. Clutch ring 110 also provides a distal region with a corresponding annular sloped ridge 130 and a cooperating radial abutment surface. When the abutment surfaces 126 and 127 of clutch plate 120 and clutch ring 110 are brought into abutment and a ring clamp 128 is attached to clutch plate 120 and clutch ring 110 engaging sloped ridges 124 and 130, this assembly provides a clutch for transmitting the rotary motion from the motor 72 and harmonic drive assembly to the outer skin 66. This is explained in greater detail below. Clutch ring 110 has mounted on surface 129 several strain gauges which are used for feedback control of the arm motion.

[0067] Towards its proximal end, clutch ring 110 provides an annular bearing seat for the outer race of the distal exterior bearing 68. This race is retained on the clutch ring 110 bearing seat by an annular bearing clamp 132 and a plurality of bolts 134 or other suitable fasteners. Clutch ring 110 also includes arcuate aperatures, two of which are shown at 136. These aperatures provide a space for the internal wiring to pass from joint to joint. The outer circumference of clutch ring 110 includes an annular bolt rim 138. The bolt rim 138 contains a number of aperatures suitable to accommodate a series of bolts 140. The bolts 140 pass through clutch ring 110 to threadedly engage internal annular lip 142 of the distal end of outer skin 66 and engages flange 67 of the proximal end of distal outer skin 69.

[0068] The outer shell of the roll joint may consist of a single outer skin 66 or may include a distal outer skin 69. In the preferred embodiment, the transverse cross-section of the outer skin 66 and distal outer skin 69 increase in the direction of the proximal end of roll joint 6. At the proximal end on the interior diameter there is provided a bearing seat 144. The outer race of bearing 70 is retained on the bearing seat 144 by an annular outer bearing clamp gear 146 which is rigidly attached to the outer skin 66 by a series of bolts 148. Outer bearing clamp gear 146 is provided with internal gear teeth 150. The internal gear teeth 150 are adapted to mesh with anti-backlash gear 152 which protrudes through arcuate aperatures (not shown) in the inner bearing clamp 74 and drive housing 65. As an additional function, outer bearing clamp gear 146 provides a wear surface for a tube seal 154. Tube seal 154 is held in place by a recess provided in the distal face of inner bearing clamp 74.

[0069] Inner bearing clamp 74, in addition to the features described above, is provided with a resolver mounting surface 156. The resolver mounting surface 156 contains an aperature adapted to accommodate a mounting flange and pilot 158 of a standard, commercially available resolver 160. The resolver 160 is retained within the mounting aperature by clamp 162. The anti-backlash gear 152 is mounted to the resolver shaft by clamp 164. With this mounting, the resolver is able to provide a measure of relative rotational position between the drive housing 65 and the outer skins 66 and 69.

[0070] In the preferred embodiment, motor 72 includes both a brake and, optionally, a tachometer. In operation, an electrical current is supplied to motor 72 causing the wave generator 100 of the harmonic drive assembly to rotate within the flexspline 112. This action induces a counter-rotating motion in the flexspline 112 which is transmitted to the rigidly attached harmonic drive collar 108. The rotating motion is transmitted through the collar 108 to clutch plate 120. The clutch assembly guards against overloading of the harmonic drive assembly. The clamping force of ring clamp 128 is set to allow slippage between clutch plate 120 and clutch ring 110 in the event the torque load on the roll joint exceeds the torque capabilities of the harmonic drive assembly. If the torque load does not exceed this limit, the clutch assembly transmits the rotational movement of the harmonic drive assembly to the clutch ring 110 and ultimately to outer skin 66. As previously described, this relative rotation between the drive housing assembly 64 and the outer skin 66 assembly is accommodated by outer bearing 70 and distal exterior bearing 68. As the outer skin 66 rotates relative to the drive housing assembly 64, the outer bearing gear clamp 146 moves in relation to the resolver 160 location. The gear mesh between outer bearing gear clamp 146 and anti-backlash gear 152 causes rotation of the resolver shaft 166. In this manner, the resolver 160 can be used to measure rotation of the roll joint 10 and relative rotational position of the outer skin 66 with respect to the drive housing 65.

[0071] At the distal end of distal outer skin 69, there is provided an annular abutting face 167, sloped ridge 168, and interior annular lip 172. Ear module 170 of pitch joint 12, as shown in Figure 5, includes an identical annular abutting face 169 and a corresponding sloped ridge 171. The inner diameter of the ear module 170 is adapted to closely fit on the lip 172. When the ear module 170 and outer skin 66 are mated and the distal ring clamp 174 is applied, the ear module 170, ring clamp 174, and distal outer skin 69 are rigidly joined.

[0072] Turning now to Figure 8, there is illustrated a partial cross-sectional view of the pitch joint 8. As with a roll joint 10, the pitch joint 8 includes two major structural parts which rotate relative to each other. These relatively rotating parts are the ear module 44 and case module 46, also visible in Figure 4. As shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, the ear module 44 of each pitch joint is disposed in the manipulator arm assembly nearest the proximal end of the manipulator arm while the case module 46 is disposed nearest the distal end of the manipulator arm. Thus, for simplicity it is sensible to view the pitch joint as operating with a fixed ear module 44 and a rotating case module 46.

[0073] As the name would suggest, the ear module 44 includes two parallel ears, motor ear 176 and drive ear 178 extending outwardly toward the distal side of the pitch joint. The ears 176 and 178 are disposed in parallel planes which are parallel to the rotational axes of the adjoining roll joints 6 and 10. (see also Figures 5 and 6.) Each ear 176 and 178 includes an aperature suitable for accommodating a bearing inner race support assembly.

[0074] Turning first to the motor side of the pitch joint (the lower portion of Figure 8), the motor ear 176 bearing support assembly is shown in detail. The motor ear 176 is provided with an aperature suitable to accommodate a snugly fit inner bearing clamp 180. The motor side inner bearing clamp 180 contains a radially extending flange 182 which abuts the outer surface of the motor ear 176. Spaced aperatures are provided in the flange 182 to allow passage of bolts 184 which are threaded into mating threaded holes around the perimeter of the motor ear 176 aperature. The motor side inner bearing clamp 180 also includes a ring of aperatures for accommodating bearing bolts 186. These bolts draw together the motor side inner bearing clamp 180 and the motor side inner bearing collar 188. Inner bearing collar 188 is provided with an annular bearing seat 190. The inner race of motor side bearing 192 is seated upon the bearing seat 190 and clamped in place by the bolt force holding together the motor side inner bearing collar 188 and the motor side inner bearing clamp 180. The inside face of the motor side inner bearing collar 188 includes a stepped surface suitable to accommodate an external tooth gear 194. The external tooth gear 194 is retained on the motor side inner bearing collar 188 by bolts or other suitable fastening means (not shown).

[0075] Turning to the drive side, a similar bearing mounting arrangement is illustrated. The drive side ear 178 includes an aperature suitable to accommodate the intermediate surface of inner bearing clamp/clutch 196. Inner bearing clamp/clutch 196 includes a flange 198 with spaced aperatures suitable to accommodate a number of bolts 200 which engage threaded holes around the periphery of the central aperature in drive ear 178. The inner bearing clamp/clutch 196 is also provided with an internal array of aperatures suitable to accommodate bolts 202 which engage threaded holes in the mating drive side inner bearing collar 204. The drive side inner bearing collar 204 includes on its outer surface a bearing seat 205. The inner race of bearing 206 is mounted on the bearing seat 205 and retained between the drive side inner bearing collar 204 and the inner bearing clamp/clutch 196 by the clamping force of bolts 202. In addition, the drive side inner bearing collar 204 includes a mating surface 207 on its outer diameter near the inner end of the collar. This surface is suited to accommodate an annular seal 208. The end of the inner bearing clamp/clutch 196 includes a flat abutment face 197 and a sloped ridge 210. The flat annular abutment face 197 is adapted to mate with an identical abutment face 215 and a sloped ridge 212 on the harmonic drive clutch plate 214. A ring clamp 216 is secured over the ramped ridges 210 and 212 to provide a clutch mechanism similar to that found in the roll joint of Figure 7. Surface 211 of inner bearing clamp/clutch 196 includes several strain gauges which are used for feedback control of the arm motion.

[0076] In addition to the sloped ridge 212, the harmonic drive clutch plate 214 includes a centering stub 218 the outer diameter of which roughly mates with the adjacent inner diameter of the inner bearing clamp/clutch 196. The harmonic drive clutch plate 214 includes a circular array of aperatures which accommodate bolts 220. Clutch plate 214 also includes a central aperature 222 suitable for a plug to retain lubricant and permit access to the wave generator 260 for adjustment. Bolts 220 extend through clutch plate 214 to engage threaded holes in harmonic drive collar 224. The harmonic drive collar 224 includes a center stub which mates a central recess 217 in the harmonic drive clutch plate 214. These control surfaces ensure centering of the various parts. The harmonic drive clutch plate 214 and harmonic drive collar 224 mate and retain between their surfaces the flexspline 226 of the harmonic drive assembly.

[0077] Turning now to the case module 46, there is provided a generally tubular body slightly shorter than the distance between the ears 176 and 178 of the ear module 44. At each end of the tubular case module 46, on the inner diameter, there is provided annular bearing seats 47 and 51 for the outer races of bearings 192 and 206, respectively. On the drive side of the case module 46 inner diameter, there is further provided an annular seal contact surface 49 for seal 208. The outer races of the motor side bearing 192 and the drive side bearing 206 each are retained on their respective bearing seats by the motor side outer bearing clamp 228 and the drive side outer bearing clamp 230, respectively. The case module also includes a slotted region 232 opposite the ear module 44 which accommodates the passage of electrical wires.

[0078] The case model 46 includes an integral radial flange 234 which extends inward to provide mounting surfaces. At the center of this flange there is provided an aperature which is concentric with the axis of rotation 40 of the pitch joint 8. The aperature is adapted to accommodate a motor mount plate 238. The motor mount plate 238 includes an annular array of aperatures suitable to accommodate bolts 240 which engage threaded holes in the case module interior flange 234. The case module interior flange 234 also provides on its drive side a surface 242. The rigid spline 244 of the harmonic drive assembly is rigidly mounted to the surface 242 by bolts 246 which extend through the gear to engage threaded holes in the case module interior flange 234.

[0079] The motor mount plate 238 includes a central aperature suitable to accommodate passage of the motor drive shaft 248 and a suitable seal 250. The motor mount plate 238 includes a circular recess 252 on its motor side which is provided to accommodate the centering collar 254 of the motor 256. The motor mount plate 238 also provides recessed aperatures through which appropriate screws or bolts 258 can be passed to rigidly mount the drive motor 256 to the motor mount plate 238. Mounted on the motor shaft 248 is a wave generator 260, a part of the harmonic drive assembly.

[0080] In operation, an electric current is supplied to motor 256 causing rotation of the motor drive shaft 248 and of the wave generator 260 of the harmonic drive assembly. This creates relative movement between the rigid spline 244 and the flexspline 226 of the harmonic drive. Viewing the ear module 44 as fixed, the result is that the rigid spline 244 rotates around the flexspline 226 inducing rotation of the case module 46 relative to the ear module 44. Bearings 192 and 206 are interposed between the ear module 44 and the case module 46 to accommodate the rotation. If the torque load encountered by the pitch joint exceeds the frictional resistance provided by the clutch assembly, the case module 46 and ear module 44 will remain fixed in their relative location and the harmonic drive clutch plate 214 will rotate relative to the inner bearing clamp/clutch 196. Thus, when the clutch is properly set it will prevent damage to the harmonic drive assembly.

[0081] When relative rotation occurs between the ear module 44 and the case module 46, rotation of the shaft of resolver 259 results. This occurs because the resolver 259 is mounted in the case module 46 while the teeth of the anti-backlash gear mounted on the resolver shaft (not shown) engage the external tooth spur gear 194 which is rigidly mounted to the ear module 44. This arrangement provides a means for detecting the relative rotation and the relative rotational position between the case module 46 and ear module 44.

[0082] As previously explained, the roll joints and pitch joints described above can be joined in alternating sequence to construct a manipulator arm with any number of arm joints. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of arm configurations are possible with the present invention. In addition to the conventional configuration of alternating pitch and roll joints, for example, a manipulator could be constructed from pitch and roll joints of the present invention in which two or more adjoining joints are of the same type, i.e. pitch or roll. Also, a simple yaw joint could be placed between two pitch or roll joints to provide motion about a vertical axis. It would also be apparent to those skilled in the art that a "dead" static joint of any shape could be substituted in the arm. Similarly, the perpendicular relationship between roll joint and pitch joint axes of rotation provided in the preferred embodiment could be altered. This wide variety of configurations is made possible and simple by the exoskeleton design of the arm segments and by the fact that each arm joint is independently powered.

[0083] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the unitized nature of the arm joints facilitates the construction of a redundant manipulator which is advantageous in operation but also problematic. Redundancy generally improves the maneuverability of the manipulator. However, to be useful, the manipulator motion must be accurately controlled and the unitized structural design makes that task more difficult. The servocontrol of the present invention is uniquely adapted to provide optimum dynamic performance and stability to a manipulator constructed of unitized arm joints such as those described above and driven by a rapid sequence of digital position error signals converted to analog signals such as those generated by digital robot controllers, examples of which can be found in U.S. Patents 3,909,600; 3,920,972; 4,011,437; 4,403,281; and 4,453,221, the relevant contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0084] Figure 1 includes a block representation of a representative control system 3 of an industrial robot. The control system 3 is an integral part of such a device. Without a control system 3, a manipulator arm has little utility.

[0085] As represented by Figure 1, the representative control system 3 can be viewed for the purpose of discussion as having several discrete elements. The representative control system 3 may include an input/output console 5 to permit communication with an operator or to accommodate various process or machine inputs. It may also include a digital computer 11 which processes a user-program contained in the data memory 9 in accordance with the control programs contained in program memory 7. The user-program directs the actions of the manipulator. The control system 3 also may include analog servocontrol circuits 13 which provide communication with the arm joints and tool 16. Numerous additional peripheral devices may be included to interface the manipulator to a representative control system 3.

[0086] The operating system of a control system 3 may include a mode control program. Such programs allow for switching the control system 3 between various operating modes such as automatic mode, teach mode, manual mode, etc. During the teach mode of a typical control system, an operator uses input/output console 5 to actuate the drive motors of the various arm joints and thereby move the tool 16 into desired positions and orientations along a desired path. By so doing, the operator establishes numerous "goal points" on a path of movement which the manipulator later may follow. While numerous other operating modes may be available in a representative control system 3, only the automatic mode is of interest here since that is the primary mode involved in the use of the present invention. Operation of the automatic mode and the present invention assumes that the operator already has "taught" the manipulator control system 3 the operation it is to carry out and that the appropriate information is stored in data memory 9 of the control system 3.

[0087] The objective of the automatic mode of a typical control system 3 is to precisely control the location and orientation of a tool 16 in space. Referring to Figure 1, the objective is to guide the motion of the manipulator so as to precisely control the location and orientation of tool 16. This is accomplished in a typical control system 3 by providing a rapid succession of digital position error signals, each the result of a complex series of computations, which are converted to analog signals and transmitted to each arm joint via analog servocontrol circuits 13. Using appropriate feedback and compensation techniques, the servocontrol circuits 13 provide a final continuous drive signal to each joint motor.

[0088] Referring again to Figure 1, the Analog Servocontrol Circuits 13 of the present invention receive from the control system an analog position error signal and an instantaneous velocity signal for each arm joint. The Analog Servocontrol Circuits 13 amplify the position error signal and, using the instantaneous velocity signal and the torque feedback signal explained below, compensate that signal to ensure stability, thereby providing a final drive signal to each arm joint motor.

[0089] The electromechanical system of a manipulator such as that of the present invention typically is a second order or higher order feedback control system, as those terms are used in the vernacular of control engineering. As such, the electromechanical system is susceptible to operational instability if the physical characteristics of the system and the drive signals provided to the joint motors are not properly controlled.

[0090] In many servomechanisms similar to the present invention, instability problems are minimized because the mechanical drive structure is very stiff and thus its resonant frequency is very high; beyond a point of serious concern. The forward path of the control loop of such a system may be compensated, (e.g. by a low frequency lag compensation network) thereby making the system behave as a first order system within the bandwidth of interest. This approach has the disadvantage of slowing the response of the servomechanism because it reduces the bandwidth of the system.

[0091] Such conventional servocontrol techniques are inappropriate with the manipulator described above. The mechanical drive system of the manipulator of the present invention is relatively compliant due to the flexibility of the harmonic drive. Consequently, the resonant frequency of the mechanical drive system is relatively low. Furthermore, the harmonic drive creates vibration and control problems that would be far less severe in a structure which used other power transmission means. That is, in addition to the typical excitation sources of drive signal frequency content and various mechanical roughnesses in the system, the harmonic drive causes sinusoidal excitation as a result of an inherent transmission deviation at the rate of n cycles per motor revolution where n is the number of lobes on the wave generators 100 or 260.

[0092] Because of these features, a typical servocontrol and compensation scheme consisting of a position feedback loop and a velocity feedback loop would be ineffective and sluggish if applied to the structure of the present invention. Conventional control strategies would not allow the resonance to be controlled and, in fact, may amplify the problem of the harmonic drive sinusoidal excitation.

[0093] To overcome these and related problems, the servocontroller of the present invention utilizes a torque feedback loop in addition to velocity and position feedback loops and in addition to a current loop included as part of a current amplifier. While all three feedback loops are used together in normal operation, the torque loop could be used alone for applications of the manipulator which call for application of a specified force to an object. Furthermore, the torque loop feedback control concept of the present invention could be advantageously employed in nearly any type of actuator driven mechanical apparatus; it is not limited to the revolute manipulator described above. By using the torque loop as the innermost loop, the motor and harmonic drive configuration of each arm joint operates as a torque producing plant rather than a motion producing plant. The torque feedback loop not only remedies the sinusoidal excitation to the structure which otherwise would be induced by the harmonic drive, it also improves the response of the servomechanism because it permits the position and velocity feedback loops to operate in a frequency range far beyond what would otherwise be possible. The use of the torque loop also significantly reduces the effects of friction and compliance in the servomechanism, enabling the present invention to operate with much greater accuracy and repeatability. Furthermore, the torque loop feedback improves the operating characteristics of the manipulator even when mounted on a soft foundation.

[0094] Figure 9 is a block diagram of the present invention including the servocontrol elements. Each block of the block diagram contains the transfer function of the associated mechanical, electrical or electromechanical element of the entire system expressed as Laplace transforms. The symbols which correspond directly to physical properties of the portion of the system whose operation is being controlled are defined below.

L_a -

Armature Inductance

R_a -

Armature Resistance

K_t -

Motor Torque Constant

J_m -

Motor and Wave Generator Inertia

B_m -

Motor and Wave Generator Viscous Friction

K_v -

Voltage Constant

N -

Drive Ratio

K_d -

Drive Spring Constant

J₁ -

Joint Inertia

B₁ -

Joint Viscous Friction

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the same or equivalent compensation systems could be represented by block diagrams different from that shown in the figure.

[0095] For simplicity, the portion of the block diagram contained within phantom box 322 may be viewed as the primary physical system of a single arm joint controlled by the servocontroller of the present invention. Blocks 324 and 326 represent the armature inductance and resistance and the torque constant of the drive motor, respectively. Block 328 represents the inertia and viscous friction of the drive motor and the harmonic drive wave generator. Block 330 represents the gear ratio of the harmonic drive and the time integration of velocity to position. Block 332 represents the spring constant associated with the harmonic drive and the other power transmission components leading up to the point where the strain gauges are applied.

[0096] Blocks 334, 336, and 338 and the associated feedback lines represent dynamic characteristics of a typical current amplifier/motor combination. Block 340 represents the axis torque reflected through the gear ratio to the motor.

[0097] As shown in the figure, the servocontrol of the present invention uses forward path compensation. Compensation also could be accomplished by placing compensation networks in the feedback loops to achieve the same functions.

[0098] As previously stated, the servocontrol of the present invention uses four feedback loops -- a current loop 342, a torque loop 344, a velocity loop 346, and a position loop 348. The torque loop 344 represents the torque feedback. Block 350 represents the gain of the feedback transducer which is proportional to the torque in the drive at the point where the harmonic drive connects to the arm joint. Block 352 represents the torque loop compensation network.

[0099] Block 354 represents the inertia and friction of the manipulator arm segment. Velocity loop 346 represents the arm segment velocity feedback. Block 356 represents the gain of the velocity feedback transducer which is proportional to the velocity of the arm segment. Block 358 represents the velocity loop compensation network.

[0100] Finally, Block 360 represents the time integration of velocity to position. Block 362 is the gain of the position feedback transducer and 364 represents a gain in the forward path which determines the speed of response of the position loop. The arrow 366 represents the commanded position signal. The portion of the block diagram contained within the phantom box 368 represents functions which are performed in the digital portion of the controller 15.

[0101] Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous alternative circuits and control schemes could be developed to accomplish the torque, velocity, and position and current feedback control of the present invention using conventional compensation design techniques such as those explained in Ogata, Modern Control Engineering, Prentice-Hall Inc. 1970, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference. If desired, for example, the values of the block diagram terms associated with the electromechanical system of each joint can be determined experimentally and used to mathematically derive an appropriate compensation network. Alternatively, the frequency response and phase characteristics of the portion of the system to be controlled can be experimentally determined and graphically represented by Bode plots, which would form the basis for design of appropriate forward path or feedback path compensation networks. Other design methods also could be employed.

[0102] The preferred embodiment of the servocontrol circuitry of the present invention is schematically illustrated in Figure 10. For descriptive purposes, the schematic diagram may be logically divided into several portions outlined by the phantom boxes.

[0103] As indicated in the block diagram of Figure 9 and shown in Figure 10, the circuitry receives a position error signal from the D/A chips, a velocity signal from the R/D chips and a torque signal from the strain gauges. The position error signal is supplied to a differential amplifier shown in phantom box 370. Likewise, the velocity signal and torque signal are supplied to the differential amplifier and instrumentation amplifier shown in phantom boxes 372 and 374, respectively. Each of the differential amplifiers 370 and 372 includes an operational amplifier, indicated at 376 and 378, and an array of one or more resistors and capacitors. Instrumentation amplifier 374 is designed to provide greater gain than amplifiers 370 and 372 because the signals received from the strain gauges are quite small.

[0104] The signal provided by the differential amplifiers 370 and 372 is supplied to the velocity loop compensation network shown in phantom box 384 and adjusted by balance 386. Balance 386 permits the circuitry to be adjusted to provide zero output when there is zero position error.

[0105] The velocity loop compensation network 384 consists of a lag network of a particular type known as a lag-lead-lag network. A low frequency lag, consisting of an operational amplifier, resistor and capacitor, is provided to increase the signal gain at low frequencies, thus improving the static stiffness of the manipulator. This is followed by a medium frequency lead network, consisting of a resistor and capacitor, to improve stability and reduce overshoot of the manipulator. Finally, a high frequency lag network, consisting of an operational amplifier, resistor and capacitor, is provided as a filter. A velocity loop compensation network consisting of only a lag network or only a lag-lead network would also be functional but would not be as effective as the lag-lead-lag network illustrated.

[0106] The amplified torque signal from differential amplifier 374 is supplied to the lag network consisting of an operational amplifier, resistors and capacitors shown in phantom box 388 and is adjusted by balance 390. This network serves as a high frequency filter. The resulting signal is supplied to the torque loop compensation network shown in phantom box 394.

[0107] The torque loop compensation network 394 consists of a lead network of a particular type known as a lead-lag preceded by a differential amplifier. A low frequency lead, consisting of a resistor and capacitor receives the signal from a differential amplifier. This is followed by a lag network consisting of an operational amplifier, resistor and capacitor. The resulting signal is supplied to a conventional current amplifier which produces the final drive signal to the joint motor. The purpose and effect of the torque loop compensation network is to alter the frequency response and phase characteristics of the open loop forward path to avoid a condition of instability and to maximize the operational bandwidth of this inner-most feedback loop. By maximizing the operational bandwidth of the torque loop, the bandwidth of the velocity and position loops are permitted to be higher than would otherwise be possible, thus improving the speed of response of the manipulator.

[0108] The values of the network components are determined experimentally or by mathematical or computer modeling. The values are unique for each structure being controlled. Therefore, the values are not indicated here.

[0109] The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment and alternative embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment presented above was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. A servocontrolled apparatus, characterised by comprising:
a member driven by an actuator;
means for supplying a force command signal;
means for sensing the motive force applied to the member by the actuator at a location on the member, the sensing means providing a member force signal;
means for comparing the force command signal with the member force signal and providing a force error signal;
a force compensation network for receiving the force error signal and compensating for instability across a bandwidth extending beyond the resonant frequency of the member, the compensation network providing an output signal;
means for amplifying such output signal; and
means for supplying the amplified signal to the actuator, whereby a force is provided in response thereto.

2. A servocontrolled apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the force command signal means comprise:
means for supplying a velocity command signal;
means for sensing the velocity of the member at a location on the member and providing a member velocity signal;
means for comparing the velocity command signal with the member velocity signal and providing a velocity error signal; and
a velocity compensation network for receiving the velocity error signal and providing a force command signal.

3. A servocontrolled apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the velocity command signal means comprise:
means for supplying a position command signal;
means for sensing the position of the member at a location on the member and providing a member position signal; and
means for comparing the position command signal with the member position signal and providing a position error signal.

4. A servocontrolled apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the velocity command signal means comprises:
a digital computer operative to provide a digital position error signal by comparison of the position of the member, sensed at a location on the member, with a computed position command, the position error signal being stepwise updated at time intervals designated by the computer; and
means for converting the digital position error signal to a continuous analog velocity command signal.

5. A servocontrolled apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the member comprises a revolute joint of a manipulator arm.

6. A servocontrolled apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the member comprises an arm joint of a manipulator.

7. A servocontrolled apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the force compensation network comprises a lead network.

8. A servocontrolled apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the lead network is of the type comprising a lead-lag network.

9. A servocontrolled apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the velocity compensation network comprises a lag network.

10. A servocontrolled apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the lag network is of the type comprising a lag-lead-lag network.

11. A servocontrolled apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the actuator comprises a harmonic drive.

12. A method of controlling an apparatus member driven by an actuator, characterised by:
supplying a force command signal;
sensing the motive force applied to the member by the actuator at a location on the member and providing a resulting member force signal;
comparing the force command signal with the member force signal and providing a resulting force error signal;
compensating the force error signal for instability across a bandwidth extending beyond the resonant frequency of the member and providing a resulting output signal;
amplifying the output signal; and
supplying the amplified signal to the actuator, whereby a force is provided in response thereto.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the force command signal is supplied by:
applying a velocity command signal;
sensing the velocity of the member at a location on the member and providing a resulting member velocity signal;
comparing the velocity command signal with the member velocity signal and providing a resulting velocity error signal; and
compensating the velocity error signal to provide a force command signal.

14. A method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the velocity command signal is supplied by:
supplying a position command signal;
sensing the position of the member at a location on the member and providing a resulting member position signal; and
comparing the position command signal with the member position signal to provide a position error signal.

Drawing